Some clarification needed for the Clip Browser Manual... On page 17 it states the following...

Under Clip Exporting Notes:

This Application can convert clips in the following Video formats:
SP 1440 x 1080 59.94i
SP 1440 x 1080 50i
Other formats will be supported by future versions.

This does not sound good as we are suppose to use this as an interface for our NLE's to convert the mp4 wrapper to an MXF. I want a full 1920 x 1080 for the exported file.

Am I missing something?

All HDCAM and all XDCAM HD is native 1440 x 1080 anamorphic. Nothing wrong here.

This tool is designed to convert the files into the standard XDCAM HD format so current XDCAM HD edit systems can work with the files. Since many current systems may not know what to do with a non standard 1920x1080 in MXF it wouldn't really help you anyway.

I understand what you guys are saying but I still do not understand... I mean from reading the workflow thread about archiving the footage to XDCAM discs people were not happy that the 1920 would be forced to 1440 and were trying to figure out a way to maintain the 1920. I know Vegas Pro 8.0 supports HD 1920 projects. It just seems that if the camera is able to shoot 1920 the clip browser should be able to export 1920. Also another thing I just realized is that the formats above also say SP 1440 not HQ 1440 so what about your HQ footage? Hopefully this is just a typo... Regardless, I am buying one of these cameras but just found this to be strange... Thanks for the responses so far guys.. I can not wait for this to start shipping.

Is there a possibility to import the 1920x1080-EX1-clips directly to Vegas - without using this clip browser tool?

seems also that Export is Windows only

Note it doesn't say you can't use Windows Explorer or Mac Finder. It says you'll lose associations. In other words spanned clips won't be seen as one for example.

In that case I'm thinking one can make a custom sequence preset to handle 1920x1080 in the .mp4 wrapper. This might be an experiment worth trying in Final Cut Pro. I'm not sure if Vegas offers customization of sequence settings.

Am I reading this right?
After shooting native 1920x1080 I should be forced to edit/archive in 1440x1080 and therefore loose resolution?
That simply can't be true.

Why not? That's exactly how HDCAM works. Even if the camera head shoots 1920x1080, it's filtered to 1440x1080 before it's laid down on tape.

-gb-

Okay, some clarifications.

The EX shoots and records the full 1920x1080 resolution.

The trouble with this new software is that it is an early version. If you record in 1920x1080 HQ mode with the EX, the current software will not even output it to a 1440x1080 MXF, let alone a 1920 one.

Put simply, if you record 1920x1080 footage from the EX in any mode you will only be able to view it in this current version of the software, and will not be able to export it in any flavour. I am confused by this current situation for some very good reasons which I won't go into here (anyone who saw Vegas demoed at IBC will relate to that, since they were using the software on full resolution 1920 files).

Suffice to say that eventually the software will read the 1920x1080 files to 1920x1080 MXF's which can already be read by Vegas Pro 8 (the Vegas programmers are on the ball).

The Mac situation is different. From what I gather the software is a viewer only. I can only assume that the Mac transfer software for FCP will be updated soon.

Simon, thanks for the info.
It only makes sense that Sony updates their software, but it seems odd it was not updated by now. Then again, the camera has not been released. For all we know, it will come with the updated software.

... eventually the software will read the 1920x1080 files to 1920x1080 MXF's which can already be read by Vegas Pro 8 (the Vegas programmers are on the ball). ...

Thanks for the clarification, Simon.

Simon, Thanks for the info as that really sheds some light on this. Let's hope that they update the software by the time the camera ships as I will be shooting in HQ as I am sure most will.